Hobo lingo in use up to the 1940s
Accommodation car the caboose of a train Angellina young inexperienced kid Bad Road a train line rendered useless by some hobo's bad action Banjo (1) a small portable frying pan. (2) a short, "D" handled shovel Barnacle a person who sticks to one job a year or more Beachcomber a hobo who hangs around docks or seaports Big House prison Bindle stick collection of belongings wrapped in cloth and tied around a stick Bindlestiff a hobo who steals from other hobos. Blowed-in-the-glass a genuine, trustworthy individual "'Bo" the common way one hobo referred to another: "I met that 'Bo on the way to Bangor last spring". Boil Up specifically, to boil one's clothes to kill lice and their eggs. Generally, to get oneself as clean as possible Bone polisher a mean dog Bone orchard a graveyard Bull a railroad officer Bullets beans Buck a Catholic priest good for a dollar Buger today's lunch C, H, and D indicates an individual is Cold, Hungry, and Dry (thirsty) California Blankets newspapers, intended to be used for bedding Calling In using another's campfire to warm up or cook Cannonball a fast train Carrying the Banner keeping in constant motion so as to avoid being picked up for loitering or to keep from freezing Catch the Westbound to die Chuck a dummy pretend to faint Cover with the moon sleep out in the open Cow crate a railroad stock car Crumbs lice Doggin' it traveling by bus, especially on the Greyhound bus line Easy mark a hobo sign or mark that identifies a person or place where one can get food and a place to stay overnight Elevated under the influence of drugs or alcohol Flip to board a moving train Flop a place to sleep, by extension: "Flophouse", a cheap hotel. Glad Rags one's best clothes Graybacks lice Grease the Track to be run over by a train Gump a scrap of meat Honey dipping working with a shovel in the sewer Hot (1) a fugitive hobo. (2) a decent meal: "I could use three hots and a flop." Hot Shot train with priority freight, stops rarely, goes faster; synonym for "Cannonball" Jungle an area off a railroad where hobos camp and congregate Jungle Buzzard a hobo or tramp who preys on their own Knowledge bus a school bus used for shelter Main Drag the busiest road in a town Moniker / Monica a nickname Mulligan a type of community stew, created by several hobos combining whatever food they have or can collect Nickel note five-dollar bill On The Fly jumping a moving train Padding the hoof to travel by foot Possum Belly to ride on the roof of a passenger car. One must lie flat, on his/her stomach, to not be blown off Pullman a rail car Punk any young kid Reefer a compression of "refrigerator car". Road kid a young hobo who apprentices himself to an older hobo in order to learn the ways of the road Road stake the small amount of money a hobo may have in case of an emergency Rum dum a drunkard Sky pilot a preacher or minister Soup bowl a place to get soup, bread and drinks Snipes cigarette butts "sniped" (eg. in ashtrays) Spear biscuits looking for food in garbage cans Stemming panhandling or mooching along the streets Tokay Blanket drinking alcohol to stay warm Yegg a traveling professional thief